Received a phone call from my husband last night around 5:00 p.m. saying he needed me to do him a favor. Seems there was the "Millennium 2000 Challenge" going on at Crystal Park Casino and he was "unavoidably" detained at work and would be "unable" to attend the nights event: $50 buy in, $10 fee, no rebuys. Reasonable enough request (yeah right! you know I was thrilled at his request, languishing in this new found faith in me, feeling pretty good that MY husband wanted ME to represent us in this first event!) so I jumped in the shower and took off for the casino!

Standing in line, I waited patiently for my turn to buy in. Table 17, Seat 9...not too bad (although I prefer seats 3,4,7 or 8, but hey...we all have our talismans). Watching the line grow longer and longer as the clock approached 7:00 p.m., I ordered a drink to calm my nerves. Finally, the cards were in the air! There is nothing like the adrenaline rush of a tournament's beginning. All players are filled with an overwhelming sense of victory, their enthusiasm permeating the air...Within the first 30 minutes, we had already eliminated a player at our table. Initially I doubled up fairly quickly, but by the end of the first round, I was back to even. As I heard the call to raise the blinds, I ordered another drink...this was going to be a long tournament...

Funny thing about no re-buy tournaments...they're serious. Without naming names, a couple of players at my table "turned in" that guy I spoke of earlier, the guy who was knocked out within the first 30 minutes. It appears he immediately got back in line and "re-entered" the tournament. Obviously a no-no at Crystal Park...although I disagree with the "snitching" part, great kudos to the floor person who handled the situation with dignity. (The sad thing was...on this guys --second time around-- he was seriously up in chips! I think jealousy got the best of these "un-named narks")

Nothing too stunning on the second round to report. I steadily built chips and was enjoying the luxury of being chip leader into the third round. Before long, there remained only 4 of the original 10 at my table, so I was feeling pretty confident. After the break, I did play poorly on one hand (which I'm sure the guy in seat 5 will remember)...I was in the small blind with 3-7 off suit. By the time it got back to me, it was three-bet/six-way action. What's a girl to do??? I figured all the "good" cards were out, so I would invariably flop two pair or something...oops, didn't...but I flopped four cards to a gut-shot straight! (Call it women's intuition...but I just KNEW that six was coming on the river!) *grin* So sue me...I was up in chips and liked the pot odds...That one put me over $3500...just in time for the table break...again, I was feeling pretty good...

There's no feeling like walking over to a table having to "rack" your tournament chips. Came in two behind the button, so things were certainly looking up...I decided right then and there that I would play through my blinds, then take a long walk....as I could "afford" to be blinded off a few rounds while players eliminated themselves..tables were breaking up every 2-3 hands, so it was only a matter of time before we would be down to a reasonable number. Threw away every hand including my blinds and was about to get up on the button...when I pick up...pocket queens... To my misfortune, I raised them up against pocket kings....Heads up had me putting in about half my money... Shouldn't have looked...(I lost a LOT of sleep over this last night...always follow your gut instinct!) Down half my stack, I do leave the table for a few hands...sit back down and pick up K-Q diamonds. Call, raise on my left, call...flop 10-J-8...check, bet, call...turn K, bet, raise, call...river blank...check, bet, call, he has trip 10s....now I'm down to $850 and there's 5 minutes left until the blinds are raised to the 400-800 or 500-1000. Button passes me with no options...Then I pick up 8-10 spades...and there's a three-bet to me...five-way action with two behind me...It's now or never...I cap! one player behind me goes all-in...and the small blind thinks....and thinks....and thinks......and thinks......then calls.............................................

Flop, 9,A,8.....check, check, all-in $50...all-in....call...(and here's the guy I blame for this...the A-K in seat 8, who should have RAISED to make it heads-up against two all-in players....but NOOOOOOOOO, he just calls the little $50 ... ) Turn? You guessed it....an 8....now I've got trips....I'm feeling pretty good....check, check, all-in, all-in, ....river....I don't know, like a 5 or something....small blind checks, AK checks....I turn up my trip 8's....all-in mucks, AK slams the table with his fist...and small blind???/ turns over 8----------JACK...he's outkicked me.... (bigger sigh)

You take your shots when you can....congrats to the guy with the balls to call 4 bets with J-8....I hope you did well in the tournament. And I know my mistake...it wasn't the best hand to go all-in with...but at that time I was of the mentality, win or go home. We were down to 7 tables then, so I'm pleased with my play....There are some things I would do differently now, but at least it was a good learning experience.

And as for my husband? Yep, you guessed it....while I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy about his "confidence" in me to play this tournament, I'm getting the sneaky suspicion that he wanted to play out the rest of the weeks tournaments....and staking me in this lower limit game would appease me...(big grin) Good luck tonight honey....I love you!

Aces and Faces,

Diane

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